Today’s supplication to Christ at Mass and at Vespers goes thus:
“O Adonai and leader of Israel, you appeared to Moses in a burning bush and you gave him the Law on Sinai. O come and save us with your mighty power”
Dear friends, in the sacred scriptures, the revelation of the Holy Name, Adonai (Lord), marks a covenant of deliverance, as God led the house of Israel from bondage in Egypt to the freedom of the Promised Land (cf. Ex 6:6). This divine name, Adonai, became a “memorial” to Israel for all generations, a perpetual remembrance of God’s mighty acts of salvation (cf. Deut. 16:5-9). For us as Christians, this ancient expectation finds its fulfilment in the New Covenant. The Angel Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary that she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit, who is called Holy—the Son of God (cf. Luke 1:35), echoes this covenantal theme. Mary’s response, her fiat, mirrors Israel’s acceptance of the divine will, positioning her uniquely as the “terra sancta,” the holy ground akin to that around the burning bush where Moses encountered the holy name of God (cf. Ex 3:5).
This Child, Jesus, whom we confess as Lord—Adonai—is the embodiment of the ultimate deliverance, liberating humanity not merely from physical bondage but from the bondage of sin and death. In offering His life as a ransom for many, He fulfils the prophetic role of Adonai as deliverer and redeemer (cf. Mark 10:45). The Epistle to the Hebrews deepens this connection, portraying Jesus as the high priest who mediates a better covenant (cf. Heb 8:6), one that actualizes the promises hinted at in the deliverances of old.
Thus, the Lord invites us into a life of holiness, a call rooted in the power of His grace and the model of sanctity that Mary, the first disciple, exemplifies. As St. Paul reminds us, we are called to be holy because Christ’s sacrifice has made us holy (cf. Eph 1:4). Let us, therefore, embrace this calling with the same trust and obedience as Mary did, walking in the footsteps of Jesus, our Adonai, who guides us to the true Promised Land of eternal communion with God.
Shalom!
© Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ
Paroquia Nossa Senhora de Fatima, Vila Sabrina, São Paulo, Brazil
nozickcjoe@gmail.com / fadacjay@gmail.com
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PS: Have you prayed your Rosary today?
